Monday, February 12, 2018

After several years with the delightful group of authors in the LadyKillers, I realized that blogging is not scary. It’s possible to be irreverent, irrelevant, opinionated, curmudgeonly, or just curious about a topic without coming to any conclusions. In short, it can be fun.

So what can you expect here?

I can’t pretend to be an expert about much. Writing is a craft, not a science, so there are as many opinions on what works as there are authors and readers. After 14.5 books, I may have the right to observations but not to state rules. As for medieval history, I am passionate about it, care to get the details right, and believe the study of history is as crucial as math and science. That said, I have no degree in it and must therefore remain an ardent amateur. I did officially study literature, but all that means is I learned to be an observant reader, a habit as addictive as some opioid, perhaps as dangerous in intolerant societies, but rather useful if one opts to write.

What I can do is present my thoughts on stuff. Not all stuff. My mother tried to teach me that there are three things one never discusses in polite company: religion, politics, and money. Like much else, she only partially succeeded in training me properly. What I won’t do is talk about explicit religion or politics (innuendos allowed), but I can promise never to ask how much anyone earns.

For those who have read my Author Notes or any of the blogs I wrote over the years with LadyKillers, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect, at least in tone. For others, who might be dropping in for the first time, I offer a warm welcome, maybe a bit of humor, hopefully the rare interesting thought, and a promise to respond to comments left (should you be so inclined).

My plan is to write an entry every other Monday, so, assuming the Fates are in a good mood and I manage to post successfully, the next entry will be on Monday, February 26th.